Chapter 32: Cetology
“Cetology,” as Ishmael explains, is “the science of whales.”
In this and subsequent science-centered chapters in the book, Ishmael attempts
to classify whales scientifically. He includes quotations from various
writings on the whale, adding that others might be able to revise
this draft of a classification system. Rather than using the Linnaean
classifications of family, genus, and species—which were already
the standard in Melville’s time—Ishmael divides whales into different
“chapters” of three distinct “books”: the Folio, Octavo, and Duodecimo.
Chapter 33: The Specksynder
“The Specksynder” resembles the previous chapter, but
it analyzes the whaling industry rather than whales. Beginning with
trivia about the changing role of the specksynder (literally, “fat-cutter”), who
used to be chief harpooner and captain, Ishmael moves on to a discussion
of onboard leadership styles. He notes that the dependence of whalers
upon one another for successful hunting and therefore wages begets
its own discipline, and that a whaling ship is less hierarchical
than other vessels. Nevertheless, many captains make a great show
of their rank. Ahab doesn’t flaunt his superiority, although he
can be a tyrant. In fact, Ishmael admits that it can be hard to
see exactly what is remarkable about Ahab: one must “dive . . .
for [it] in the deep.”
Chapter 34: The Cabin-Table
This chapter shows the ship’s officers at dinner. Meals
are a rigid affair over which Ahab presides: no one talks, and a
strict order of service is followed. After the officers finish eating,
the table is relaid for the harpooners, who eat heartily, intimidating
the cook with their voraciousness. The cabin is not a comfortable
place for anyone, as it is Ahab’s territory and Ahab is “inaccessible,”
“an alien.”
Chapter 35: The Mast-Head
Ishmael describes his first post on the masthead (the
top of the ship’s masts) watching for whales. He provides a history
of mastheads and their role on whaling ships. He proceeds to discuss
statues, hermits, and ancient Egyptians as prior “mast-head standers.”
The masthead is a place where whalers spend a great deal of time,
and Ishmael laments its lack of comforts: on a South Seas ship,
the masthead offers only two small pegs upon which to stand. He
compares this setup to that of other ships, which have miniature
cabins atop the masts. Ishmael admits that he himself daydreams
too much to keep a good watch, and he warns captains against hiring
“romantic, melancholy, and absent-minded young men,” who are likely
to miss whales in the vicinity.
Chapter 36: The Quarter-Deck (Enter Ahab: Then, all.)
Ahab finally makes an official appearance before the men.
First, he stirs the crew by calling out simple questions about their
mission, to which they respond in unison. He then presents a Spanish
gold doubloon, proclaiming, “Whosoever of ye raises me a white-headed whale
with a wrinkled brow and a crooked jaw . . . he shall have this gold
ounce, my boys!” The men cheer, and the harpooners ask if it is Moby
Dick that Ahab seeks. Ahab then confesses, in response to Starbuck’s
query, that it was indeed Moby Dick who stripped him of his leg,
and he announces his quest to hunt the whale down. The men shout
together that they will hunt with Ahab, though Starbuck protests
that he “came here to hunt whales, not [his] commander’s vengeance.”
Ahab commences a ritual that binds the crew together: he orders
all of his men to drink from one flagon that gets passed around. Telling
the harpooners to cross their lances before him, Ahab grasps the
weapons and anoints Queequeg, Tashtego, and Daggoo “my three pagan
kinsmen there—yon three most honorable gentlemen and noble men.”
He then makes them take the iron off of the harpoons to use as drinking
goblets. They all drink together as Ahab proclaims, “God hunt us
all, if we do not hunt Moby Dick to his death!”
Chapter 37: Sunset
Over unsounded gorges, through the rifled
hearts of mountains, under torrents’ beds, unerringly I rush!
See Important Quotations Explained
“Sunset” begins with a stage direction that sets Ahab
alone near a window and consists of a melancholy soliloquy by Ahab.
He notes that everyone thinks that he is mad and that he agrees
with them to a certain extent. He self-consciously calls himself
“demoniac” and “madness maddened.” He reveals that it was foretold
that he would be dismembered by a whale. He proclaims, however,
that he will be both “prophet” and “fulfiller” of Moby Dick’s destiny.
He accepts the inequality of the battle and challenges Moby Dick,
claiming that the whale cannot avoid his fate: “The path to my fixed
purpose is laid with iron rails, whereon my soul is grooved to run.”
Chapter 38: Dusk
“Dusk” is Starbuck’s monologue. Though he fears that all
will turn out ill, he feels inextricably bound to Ahab, compelled
to help him to “his impious end.” When he hears the revelry coming
from the crew’s forecastle, he laments the whole doomed voyage and
the “latent horror” in life.
Chapter 39: First Night-Watch
“First Night-Watch” is Stubb’s monologue, providing yet
another perspective on the voyage. Stubb, believing all to be “predestinated,”
can only laugh and sing a ditty.
Chapter 40: Midnight, Forecastle
“Midnight, Forecastle” is scripted like a scene
from a play and presents the sailors, all of different nationalities,
showing off and singing together. They get into a fight when a Spanish
sailor makes fun of Daggoo. The onset of a storm, however, halts
their fighting and makes them tend to the ship. Pip asks the “big
white God,” who may be either God or Ahab, to “have mercy on this
small black boy.”
Analysis: Chapters 32–40
“Cetology” seems to be a grandiose digression, a way for
Ishmael to show off his knowledge and his literary bent. The use
of publishing terminology (the category names Folio, Octavo, and
Duodecimo come from the different sizes of books produced by nineteenth-century
printers) suggests the arbitrariness of human attempts to understand
and classify the natural world. For Ishmael, though, the meaning
lies not in the final classification but in the act of classifying,
which signifies hope and resistance to futility. The classification also
suggests that humans, in their imperfection, need such aids to understanding,
lest they be lost in a deep and fathomless sea of information and
phenomena.
With the statement of his quest, Ahab reveals his motivation
to be considerably more complicated than resentment at losing his
leg. Ahab’s desire to strike at the world’s malevolent agency indicates
his profound intelligence and the philosophical reach of his mind;
he looks for hidden realities beneath superficial appearances. At
the same time, his sentiments suggest delusion and madness. One
of the puzzling questions presented by his soliloquy is whether
God is the malevolent agency against which Ahab seeks to strike
out. Ahab echoes both Hamlet, in his probing of the metaphysical
truths underlying everyday appearances, and Iago, in his absolute
rejection of piety and morality and his manipulation of others in
pursuit of his goal. In any case, Ahab strives to exceed the limits
proscribed for human beings by conventional morality and religion.
Beginning with Chapter 36, the
chapters in this section feature stage directions and other devices
borrowed from plays. These elements heighten the reader’s awareness
that the book is becoming more dramatic: conflicts emerge between
the characters, and Ahab self-consciously gives a performance to
unite and manipulate his crew. These chapters often echo Shakespeare,
both in their general style and in specific allusions to Shakespeare’s
plays. Ahab’s soliloquy, in particular, masterfully imitates Shakespearean
cadences and rhythms. Both Ahab and Starbuck are given soliloquy-style
monologues in these chapters, each getting the chance to plead his
case to the audience, as it were, as eloquently as he can.
